Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav announced that Jabalpur’s Dumna Airport will be renamed after Veerangana Rani Durgavati. Marking 463rd Martyrdom Day of Veerangana Rani Durgavati, Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav paid rich tributes to the iconic Gond Queen and made a series of major announcements to immortalise her legacy. Addressing a massive gathering at the queen’s memorial site in Narrai Nala, Jabalpur on Wednesday, CM Dr Yadav described Rani Durgavati as an epitome of indomitable courage, unparalleled valour and women’s empowerment and true daughter of Maa Narmada. Accepting a request put forth by Public Works Minister Rakesh Singh, CM Dr Yadav announced that a formal proposal will be sent to the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation to rename Jabalpur Airport after Veerangana Rani Durgavati. The Chief Minister revealed that a state-of-the-art institute dedicated to Rani Durgavati is nearing completion near Madan Mahal at a cost of Rs 100 crore and will be inaugurated very soon to educate future generations about her glorious reign. A new zoo and wildlife rescue centre are being developed in Jabalpur under her name, and the 35th Battalion Mandla has already been renamed after the queen. The event began with CM Dr Yadav, PWD Minister Rakesh Singh, PHED Minister Sampatiya Uikey and BJP State President Hemant Khandelwal offering floral tributes at the queen’s Samadhi. The Chief Minister also offered prayers to the Gond community’s revered deity, Bada Dev and paid respects to martyr Veer Narayan. Dr Yadav detailed how the Government is channelling Rani Durgavati’s legacy of water conservation, crop rotation and seed preservation into modern governance, saying that the state government will clear a liability of Rs 880 crore to financial institutions to eliminate the March 31 loan repayment compulsion. Farmers can now repay interest-free loans within a flexible one-year window from the date of loan disbursement.

 

For state infrastructure and industrial projects, the Government will now offer four times the market value as compensation for land acquired from farmers. Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Virasat Se Vikas’ (Development through Heritage) vision, he noted the success of Rani Durgavati Anna Protsahan Yojana supporting Kodo-Kutki millet farmers, monthly Rs 1,500 assistance empowering women under Ladli Bahna Yojana and historic elevation of Droupadi Murmu as India’s first tribal President. Commenced her speech with an inspiring poem dedicated to the queen, PHED Minister, Uikey emphasised that the double-engine Government is relentlessly working to preserve tribal languages, culture and traditions, urging the community to pass down this rich heritage. PWD Minister Singh remarked that the queen was not just a warrior but a visionary in water management whose chain of reservoirs still astounds modern engineers. BJP State President Khandelwal stated that Rani Durgavati proved that a death with dignity is far superior to a life of humiliation. He urged the younger generation to draw inspiration from the sacrifices that secured the nation’s freedom. The event concluded with an extensive showcase of welfare exhibitions, attended by an array of senior leaders, including Rajya Sabha MP Sumitra Valmiki, MP Ashish Dubey, Mayor Jagat Bahadur Singh, MLAs Ashok Rohani, Neeraj Singh and Santosh Varkade, alongside senior administrative officers including Divisional Commissioner, Dhananjay Singh, DIG, Atul Singh, Jabalpur Collector Raghavendra Singh and Jabalpur SP Sampat Upadhyay, who welcomed the CM earlier at the Narrai Nala helipad.